Tiz the Law breaks sharp in the 37th Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday at Keeneland Race Course. Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire Photo.
By Tom Law
Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law finished sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday at Keeneland Race Course while Authentic, whose pedigree features ties to the New York Thoroughbred breeding program, rolled to victory in the headliner of the 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships program.
Tiz the Law, winner of the Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes this summer, finished sixth in the $6 million Classic under Manny Franco for trainer Barclay Tagg while Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert swept the exacta with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic and Improbable in North America’s richest race.
“I had an OK trip. I was down inside,” Franco said. “My horse never settled for me. He was pulling me the whole way, hard. … I was inside looking for a way to get out to a clear run. I had wait longer than I wanted to. It is what it is.”
Tagg didn’t make any excuses for Tiz the Law’s finish, his lone off-the board effort in nine starts.
“I was happy with the way he came into the race,” Tagg said. “I thought he would run his race but (Franco) said he was just too keen and didn’t run.”
Authentic scored won by 2 ¼ lengths over his stablemate and morning-line favorite Improbable, winning for the fifth time in seven starts this season for owners Spendthrift Farm, My Racehorse, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing. Improbable finished a length in front of Grade 1 Woodward Stakes winner Global Campaign with Tacitus another 2 lengths back in fourth.
Maximum Security, Tiz the Law and Title Ready were involved in a three-way photo for fifth, with the former up by a nose over the 3-1 favorite Tiz the Law.
Authentic, a 3-year-old son of Into Mischief, sold for $350,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale. He’s out of the Mr. Greeley mare Flawless, a winner in two starts who is out of the New York-bred Wild Again mare Oyster Baby.
Bred by Questroyal #100 LLC, Barry Ostrager and Wild Again Partners, Oyster Baby initially sold for $50,000 as a weanling at the 2002 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She later brought $230,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale, selling as a half sister to nine winners from 11 foals to race to that point including stakes place Stately Warrior and Saints Go Marching and the stakes-producing mare Dixie Holiday.
Oyster Baby wound up unraced and eventually sold for $40,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
